Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s address at launch of various development projects at Raebareli, UP
Victory to Mother India!
Victory to Mother India!
Victory to Mother India!
Governor of Uttar Pradesh Shri Ram Nayak ji, successful and popular Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath ji, my colleague the Railway Minister Shri Piyush Goyal ji, President of State BJP And my colleague in the Parliament Shri. Mahendra Pandey ji, Hon'ble Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, all the MLAs present here today, the Hon'ble Speaker and my dear brothers and sisters of Rae Bareli who have gathered here in large numbers.
Today I am on the land which has shown the direction towards various fields ranging from spirituality to freedom struggle and from literature to politics in every region of the country. It is the land of asceticism of various sages and monks, including Maharishi Jamadagni, as well as the land of sacrifice of Veera Pasi, Rana Beni Madhav Baksh Singh. This land is synonymous with Jayasi's work and this land has also shaped the compositions of Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi ji. On this land, Pandit Amol Sharma, the progenitor of the Kisan movement had taken birth and it was this land that had blessed Raj Narain ji. I salute this great and virtuous land of Rae Bareli and its people here.
Friends,
The Central Government and the BJP government of Uttar Pradesh are dedicated towards the development of this region which has a glorious history. Under the same spirit, just a short while ago, projects worth Rs.1000 crores were either dedicated or their foundation stones were laid here. All the projects related to the roads, houses and medical college that were dedicated or their foundation stones laid will make your lives easier and better. I congratulate you all from the bottom of my heart for these facilities.
Friends,
Before coming here, I had visited the modern coach factory nearby. This year I also got the opportunity to approve the 900th coach of this factory. The pace at which the work is progressing is indeed commendable. The Rae Bareli coach factory is a testimony to the fact how the country's resources were misused by the previous governments and their work culture. Just imagine, this factory was approved in 2007 and the objective was to produce 1000 new coaches every year. This factory was ready by the year 2010 but after that for 4 years the work of repairing and painting of the coaches from Kapurthala was going on in this factory. This factory that was constructed for manufacturing new coaches was never allowed to work to its full capacity. The situation till 2014 was such that only 3% of the machines were working.
Just within 3 months of coming to power, a coach was produced that was manufactured completely in this factory of Rae Bareli. With the efforts of the BJP government, all the machines are now working to the full capacity. The installation of new and modern machines is also being done at a fast pace. Consequently last year.... I am extremely grateful for your love and excitement. But it’s my heartfelt request to you to let others hear me as well. With your permission could I proceed further with my speech? Shall I continue? I won't do anything without your permission. I am extremely grateful for your love and blessings. But the people who have come in such great numbers, even they would like to hear something. So, could you kindly hold back your enthusiasm for sometime? Sure? Promise me, will you keep it? Great! The youngsters of Rae Bareli are really nice…. Consequently, last year 711 coaches were manufactured in this factory. I would like this figure to cross 1400 till March next year.
Friends,
The work of modernization of coaches is going on in this factory and by the next 2-3 years its capacity to manufacture coaches will rise to 3000. And I would also like to let you all know that our efforts are towards taking this figure to 5000 coaches per year. The work on this coach factory will make it will make this coach factory of Rae Bareli the largest coach factory of not only India but the entire world. And brothers and sisters I never had the habit of thinking small. Soon, this factory will produce coaches of the country's metro rails as well as coaches of semi-high speed trains. Modern aluminums light-weighted and robust coaches will also be produced here.
Brothers and sisters,
There is an expansion not only of the number of coaches and the coach factory but also in the lives of the people here. If the capacity of the coach factory increases, it will also increase the employment opportunities for the youth here. Just think of that day when everyday 10-12 coaches will be manufactured here. The increased capacity of this factory will generate jobs for workers, engineers, technicians and diploma holders. Moreover, the small and medium enterprises of Rae Bareli will also benefit out of it.
Brothers and sisters,
Before 2014, goods worth even less than Rs.1 crore used to be purchased from the local markets and local traders for this rail coach factory. This piece of information will shock you! Should I say? Before our government came to power, goods of only Rs.1 crore were purchased from the locals for this factory while after the BJP government came to power, this year purchases of the goods worth Rs.125 crores have been made from the local traders till date for this rail coach factory.
Now that the factory will be expanded, the purchases will also increase. I was told that the railway ministry along with the U.P. government together will construct a rail industrial park here. Through this industrial Park, goods will be supplied to the rail factory and it will directly benefit the small and medium enterprises.
Friends,
Today I wish to place another fact before the people of Rae Bareli. When the previous government had constructed the Rail Coach factory here, it was decided that 5 thousand employees would be appointed. The previous government had decided upon this and had made an announcement. They had received accolades for this decision. But you will be surprised to know that approval was given only to half the posts. Announcement was made for 5000 posts but only half of them were approved. Moreover, after our government got elected in 2014, we noticed that no new appointments were made to the coach factory here. What all was told to you and you too believed that. But not a single person from here got the job. All the workers were brought from Kapurthala.
But today about 2000 new workers have been appointed by our government. Moreover, the number of temporary employees was just 200 in 2014, now it has increased to around 1500 today. Today I am proud to say that in the coming years, Rae Bareli is going to be a global hub for rail coach manufacturing.
Friends,
In order to strengthen connectivity and improve the facilities for the people of the country, the work is going on at a rapid pace for the sectors like highways, airways, waterways and I-ways besides railways. Efforts are being made day in and day out to uplift the lives of the people be it through the waterways over the rivers in U.P. or the modern Expressways or the rural roads. Under this mission, the work is progressing at a rapid pace in different sectors of Rae Bareli. The National Highway completed at a cost of Rs.500 crores that was dedicated just a short while ago will directly connect Rae Bareli to Banda via Rae Bareli and Fatehpur. This approximately 125Km long National Highway will also facilitate the visits to Chitrakoot Dham.
Friends,
The government is committed to provide every citizen of the country with best and affordable healthcare facilities along with improving the health of the infrastructure. The work on the AIIMS at Rae Bareli is being pushed so that Rae Bareli becomes healthy and it keeps the entire region healthy.
Today Medical college, hospital and hostel worth more than Rs.450 crores have been dedicated and the foundation stone has been laid. The Medical College and the hospital being constructed at Munshiganj are part of the AIIMS. This will benefit Rae Bareli and the adjacent districts. The government also wants to provide houses along with good health care facilities. The central government is striving to provide Pucca houses to every poor family of the country by the year 2022. For this, under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, more than 1.25 crore houses have already been constructed in the country till date. The keys of the houses have also been handed over to the beneficiaries. And they have also celebrated the last Diwali in those houses.
Just like Yogi ji said, even in Rae Bareli keys of more than 23 thousand houses have been handed over to my poor families. A short while ago, the work on 500 more houses has also been started. These houses are not just four walls like it used to be. We are also trying to provide amenities in that house such as taps, water supply, electricity, gas connection and Izzat Ghar i.e. toilets.
Brothers and sisters,
In the history of the country, this day is special for another reason. In 1971, on this day, the brave army of India had defeated the forces of terror, tyranny and anarchy. I salute all the soldiers from all over the country who were part of this war and were martyred. Of them there were several brave sons of Uttar Pradesh. I pay tribute to them as well on behalf of the 130 crore Indians.
In order to honor the bravery and dedication of the army, in order to glorify our protectors who are on the border in this freezing cold weather of December, you should lift your hand and with your closed fists say aloud for those brave soldiers - Bharat Mata ki Jai! Bharat Mata ki Jai! Bharat Mata ki Jai!
Brothers and sisters,
Just imagine! The slogan of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai!' that you all are proud of is also the reason of embarrassment for some! What kind of people are they who have a problem in hailing Mother India and do not care about the country?
Friends,
I know they want to abuse Modi. I am also aware of the fact that they want to put a slur on Modi somehow. But I want to know that why the country has been put at stake? Why the security of the country is being compromised?
Brothers and sisters,
Today there are two sides within the country. One side is for the truth and security of the country and is led by the government that is trying to strengthen the army. The other side belongs to the forces that are trying to weaken the country at any cost. You tell me brothers, whether the army of our country should be strong or not? Whether the Indian army have modern weapons or not?
Today the nation is a witness to the fact that Congress, our opposition is with those forces that are not allowing our armies to be strengthened. Which countries are supporting the efforts of such people? The nation is closely watching that as well. What is the reason that a few leaders are using such a language that Pakistan is applauding that! Why is that happening?
Friends,
There is a quatrain in Ramcharitmanas. Goswami Tulsidas had written that Lord Ram explaining someone's personality used to say - “झूठई लेना, झूठई देना, झूठई भोजन, झूठ चबेना” । That is, some people accept lies, offer lies, consume lies and chew lies.
Some people have made these lines their way of life. And so for such people of this country, the Ministry of Defense is a lie, the country's Defense Minister is also false, the officials of Indian Air Force are also liars, the French government is also lying, and now they have started questioning the highest court of the country too. Truth doesn't need explanation and no matter how much lies are being spoken, it will never be convincing enough. But something really significant has once been said - “जयेत् सत्येन चानृतम्” that is, the tendency to lie is won over by truth only.
I want to make it clear to the countrymen what the Congress government's attitude was towards the armies historically. The nation will never forgive them. It will never forget.
Friends,
After the Kargil war, our Air Force had requested for modern aircrafts. After the Kargil war and after the Atal ji's government, Congress had ruled for 10 years but didn't allow the Air Force to strengthen. Why and under whose pressure?
Brothers and sisters,
In matters of Defence Deals, the history of Congress has been associated with Quattrocchi of Bofors scandal. The accused in the Chopper scam during the Congress government's regime Christian Michel was caught and brought to India just a few days ago. And we have seen how the Congress had sent their lawyer to the court to save this accused. I want to know from Congress, why are they angry and are constantly lying? Is it because there are no Quattrocchi and Christian Michel in the Defence Deals being done by the BJP government? Is this the reason why they are trying to create an environment of distrust in the Judiciary and are questioning the Judiciary now?
Brothers and sisters,
For us, the country has always been greater than the party. And our mantra will be the same for the generations to come. The nation is greater than the party. I want to tell the nation that when it comes to the country's security, the needs of the army, the prestige of the soldiers, the central government of BJP-NDA focuses only on one thing - welfare of the nation, welfare of the people. These are the values of our government.
We are trying our best to ensure that the Indian army doesn't remain behind and our soldiers who have put their lives at stake must not face any problem. After all I am answerable to the mother who sends her son to the border. I am also answerable to that sister who sends her brother to the border. I am also answerable to that family and the children who are waiting for their father. Till our government is in power, and till I am there, the government will be answerable to lakhs and crores of families and not just one family. For that, we will never step back from taking tough decisions.
Brothers and sisters,
I wish to remind you of the attitude of Congress towards the safety and security of our soldiers. In 2009, Indian army had demanded 1 Lakh 86 thousand bullet proof jackets. From 2009 to 2014, 5 years had passed but the purchase of bullet proof jackets for the Indian army was not made. After our government was elected to the centre, we purchased and approved 50 thousand bullet proof jackets for the army in 2016. I also want to inform the nation that the order of 1 lakh 86 thousand bullet proof jackets has been made in April this year. These jackets are being manufactured by one Indian company.
Brothers and sisters,
There is so much to tell you about the sins committed by the Congress that it will take weeks to narrate everything. I wish to inform the nation today that had the Congress government been formed after 2014, the country's pride, the Tejas fighter aircraft would have been shut in boxes forever. No one would have said anything. During the Congress rule, every effort was made by the UPA government to weaken everything related to the production of Tejas. This project was stuck for years but during the Congress rule, no effort was made to expedite it.
After the BJP-led NDA government came to power, in July 2016 we decided that Tejas will be included in 45 Squadron. Our government had approved the proposal of the purchase of 83 new Tejas aircrafts. Moreover, Rs.1400 crores has been approved last year to double HAL's capacity for manufacturing Tejas aircrafts.
Brothers and sisters,
This has been the modus operandi of the Congress since independence. In every Defence Deal done by the Congress, some or the other foreign middleman was involved. So, whenever deals are done in an honest and transparent manner, Congress gets perturbed. It tries to attack and weaken the army through a planned strategy.
Friends,
And in any case, the respect and honour of the army is beyond the imagination of Congress and its followers. What could you expect from a party whose member call our Army Chief a 'gunda' and that member is placed in a high position within the party? What could you expect from a party whose members who question the Surgical strike and those who trust the claims of the enemies more than their own army.
What could you expect from a party whose members try to bluff the army by placing a small amount of Rs.500 crores for One Rank One Pension and start taking credit for that? The issue of One Rank One Pension was also stuck for 40 years. It has been fulfilled by our government. More than Rs.11 thousand crores of arrear has already been given to the former army men.
Friends,
Under the Congress rule, no attention is being paid either to the soldiers or to the farmers. After the soldiers, I will talk about the farmers in detail.
For the first time in 70 years, if any government has thought about increasing the income of the farmers, then it is our government, the NDA government. Considering the problems of the farmers and understanding the needs of the future, our government has made policies from issues related to the seeds to the market and implemented them. We are trying very hard to pull the farmers out of the crisis related to farming, but honestly, the farmers of the country should never forget the history of Congress, its policies, its reality and its fraud. Why did Congress not implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee report during 10 years of its rule? Does Congress have any answer to that? Who was pressurizing them? Why did they keep silent on such an important issue like MSP? Congress will never answer these questions.
But brothers and sisters,
The NDA government at the centre has implemented the Swaminathan Committee Report recommendations on MSP for increasing the income of the farmers. MSP has been fixed for 22 Rabi and Kharif crops. The Congress ecosystem will never tell you that this one decision has ensured that the farmers receive more than Rs.60 thousand crores; a profit of Rs.60 thousand crores!
Brothers and sisters,
I also wish to know from the Congress that under what pressure they ran away from the decision of 100% Neem coating of urea. The farmers of our country had to face lathi charge due to lack of urea. The Congress government was just a mute spectator to it.
Friends,
It was the same Congress government that used to take a premium of more than 15% from the farmers for crop insurance. There also used to be a capping on the insurance amount. There used to be scams in case of a crop loss of whether 30% or 40%. Our government has eliminated these issues by implementing the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. Today, on different crops, the premium ranges from 2.5% to 5%. If I present the statistics of last two years, Rs. 8 thousand crores have been collected from the farmers throughout the country. But after a calamity, the farmers will get an assistance of more than Rs.33 thousand crores. Rs.33 thousand crores will be received by the farmers on the payment of Rs.8 thousand crores. That is, more than 4 times of what the farmers had paid will be returned to them.
Friends,
For the past few days, Congress has been making tall claims regarding loan waivers. But this is a fraud and a blatant lie. In Karnataka, the Congress had promised to the farmers of loan waiver. They had set a time limit of just 10 days but it has been 6 months now and the reality is something else. Just 2-3 days back the newspapers had reported in detail that not even 1000 farmers in Karnataka could get their loans waived even after 6 months. Just imagine! Not even 1000 could get it! Courts have started trials against thousands of farmers and have issued warrants for their arrest. Congress is trying hard to hide this reality so that they don't get exposed before the country's farmers. But the way they are cheating the farmers will destroy them. The BJP government will expose the conspiracy of Congress before the people.
Friends,
Try to recall! Even in 2008, Congress had promised to the farmers of waiving the loans off in a similar way. During that period, the farmers throughout the country had a debt of more than Rs.6 Lakh crores. At that time, the Congress government waived off the loans. And how much did they waive off? Only Rs. 60 thousand crores! Only Rs.60 Thousand crores out of the Rs.6 Lakh crores! Such a fraud! Moreover, there were 35 Lakh such people who were not entitled to loan waiver but their loans were waived. They were demanding money through fraudulent ways.
Brothers and sisters,
Congress had never paid any attention towards strengthening of any sector related to the Agriculture. Congress has never promoted these areas such as food processing, improvement of seed quality, agricultural research, irrigation systems or the means of increasing the income as much was needed.
Today efforts are being made in terms of setting up of thousands of Krishi Vigyan Kendras, distributing more than 17 crore soil health cards, allowing 100% FDI in food processing, establishing thousands of new store houses in the country, strengthening the entire supply chain, reducing the farmers' expenditure and getting higher value for their crops.
Friends,
Both the central government as well as the government of Uttar Pradesh under the leadership of Yogi ji have a common mantra - 'Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas'. We are working day in and day out to ensure this. In Raebareli, bank accounts have been opened for 8 lakh people; free gas connections have been provided to 1.75 lakh women, and free electricity connection to about 55 thousand households.
The unprecedented cooperation of all of you is boosting the government's efforts. It is the power of your cooperation that is enabling us to succeed in bringing about a positive change in the lives of the most ordinary people. In the future, we must strengthen the spirit of cooperation together. We must move forward together at every level for the rapid development of Uttar Pradesh, including Rae Bareli. With this belief, once again I congratulate you all for all development projects. I also thank you all for coming here in large numbers and showering your blessings on us.
Say aloud with me -
Bharat Mata ki Jai!
Bharat Mata ki Jai!
Bharat Mata ki Jai!
Thanks a lot!